By Lori Ehde

As last-minute enrollment figures fell into place earlier this month, Luverne Elementary School saw its third-grade class swell to the size where a new section and new teacher might be necessary.

Decisions became critical when the number of third- graders passed the 100 mark, and on Monday, Aug. 14, staff members met to determine a course of action.

"We actually called the majority of third-grade parents, and we found out we were going to have more kids in the four sections than we were comfortable with," said Superintendent Vince Schaefer. "There are only five or six new kids in the third grade, but it was just enough to make it unacceptable."

At the Thursday, Aug. 24, School Board meeting, the board approved hiring Pam Christensen, Luverne, to teach a fifth section of third-graders. According to the one-year contract, her base salary is $27,860.

The decision to add the fifth section was arrived at Monday, Aug. 21, and by Thursday Christensen was offered the position. Schaefer said the last-minute hiring process wasn't ideal, but he said the district was in a catch-22 situation.

"I'm sure to the public, we look like a bunch of stumbling bumblers," he said, "but we had to make sure we had hard numbers to work with, and we'd rather do it late in the season than find out our class sizes are too big, or find out that we'd added the fifth section needlessly."

According to Elementary Principal Melody Tenhoff, numbers don't tell the whole story when determining staffing teachers for students.

"You have to play with the personality of the class," she said, explaining that some classes (not necessarily this one) may have a higher number of demanding or special needs students.

"We had been watching Grades 3 and 4 all summer long," she said. "We shifted a teacher from second grade to fourth grade, because that happened to be a smaller class. We'd been hearing that some families were going to move out of the district, but as it turned out we didn't lose that many in third and fourth grade."

As of Friday, elementary school enrollment was 93 in kindergarten, 90 in first grade, 87 in second grade, 99 in third grade, 105 in fourth grade and 95 in fifth grade.

Tenhoff said it's critical to keep class sizes small (about 20 students) in elementary grades - particularly in third grade - because it's a pivotal learning year.

"Third grade has the benchmark tests, not that we run our curriculum around those tests, but they are beginning to do a lot of graduation standards in the third grade, and the curriculum is changing," Tenhoff said.

"You need fewer numbers so teachers can get out to the students more. They need to get a good solid footing with the beginning of graduation standards."

Tenhoff said the tight time frame wasn't comfortable to work in, but she said she's comfortable with the outcome.

"We advertised the position minimally, and word of mouth works very well in a community of this size. If we would have advertised the position and waited a week, workshops would have been done and over with, and that wouldn't have been fair for the new person. We would have liked to have had more time, but sometimes things don't work out that way," she said.

"I'm very pleased we had someone of her [Christensen's] quality waiting for a position. Any of the three we interviewed would have done a fine job, but Pam was a major substitute teacher for the district for two years before she went into day care, and her substitute teaching record was exemplary. She really did a nice job proving her abilities."

In other personnel matters, the board

Hired Louise Thorson as half-time special education EBD instructor at $16,934.

Hired David Siebenahler as varsity girls' hockey coach at $4,042.

Approved Todd Oye as volunteer football coach for varsity and B squad levels.

In other business Thursday, the board

Toured the middle school remodeling project involving the new Independent Living area for special needs instruction.

"The board was quite pleased, because it gave them a nice sampling of what can be done with remodeling a 1950s building," Schaefer said following the meeting. "When you're in that room you don't feel like you're in an old building."

Set the maximum family contribution for activity fees at $150 per family to make extracurricular involvement more affordable for large families with children involved in multiple activities.

Scheduled the annual District Capital Outlay Hearing for the Oct. 26 School Board meeting. At the meeting, the public can provide input on spending projects for the 2001-02 school year.

Reviewed upcoming meetings and events. School will start Tuesday, Sept. 5, the School Board will meet for an informal work session at 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11, and the next regular School Board meeting is at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28.

To the Editor:

It was generous of the Rock County Selection Committee to have selected me as Rock County's Outstanding Senior Citizen for the year 2000.

This award is appreciated and will be a source of inspiration for me for the rest of my life. I hope to continue working with local organizations, especially with the local Hospice and with the Southwest Crisis Center, which deals with domestic abuse.

Thanks to Rock County and to the committee for the recognition of the work done here by these important organizations. They truly, I believe, help improve the quality of life throughout Rock County, a marvelous place to live.

Jeanette Tangeman

Luverne

By John Rittenhouse
The Luverne Redbirds passed their first test during the Minnesota State Class C Amateur Baseball Tournament in Fairfax Sunday.
Playing Lake Henry in a single-elimination game during the tournament’s first round, Luverne fell behind early in the contest only to outscore its opponent 12-0 the rest of the way in a 12-1 victory.
The win sends the 23-12 Redbirds into the tournament’s second round of single-elimination play Saturday in Fairfax. Luverne plays Perham at 7 :30 p.m.
A victory would give the Redbirds a berth in the tournament’s championship rounds with seven other teams. The final eight teams compete in double-elimination play.
Luverne would start the championship-round action with a 7:30 p.m. game Sunday in Fairfax if it can knock off Perham Saturday.
Things went well for the Redbirds during Sunday’s tournament opener against Lake Henry.
Lake Henry plated an earned run off Redbird starting pitcher Robert Peterson in the bottom half of the first inning, but the rest of the game belonged to Luverne.
The Redbirds were limited to eight hits in the game, but walks by Lake Henry’s pitchers and a number of fielding errors allowed Luverne to score 12 unanswered runs and win the contest by the 10-run rule after seven innings of play.
Luverne scored twice in the top of the second inning to take the lead for good.
Mike Wenninger reached base on an error and scored the tying run when Petersen doubled. Redbird Corey Nelson was hit by a pitch as the inning progressed and gave Luverne a 2-1 lead when Jesse Reisch singled.
Reisch walked and scored an unearned run in the fifth inning to give the Redbirds a 3-1 cushion, which set up a nine-run rally in the fifth inning that all but ended the game.
Lake Henry was its own worst enemy in the sixth as the home team’s pitchers allowed four walks and hit one batter during the inning. Two errors by Lake Henry also fueled Luverne’s rally.
Wenninger supplied the biggest hit of the eruption when he singled home a pair of runs. Jeff Sehr had an RBI single, and Nelson drew a bases-loaded walk during the frame.
Peterson pitched one-run ball through six innings to pick up the win. Wenninger, who led Luverne with two hits, pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the winners.
Box scoreABRHBI
Ohme3100M.Sehr3110Miller1000J.Sehr5111Irish3100Wenninger4322Peterson2111Moerke1000Nelson2211Reisch3111Eernisse4110

McCoy is the International Pro Rodeo Association’s world champ in the saddle bronc riding the past two years and set an IPRA record while winning the all-around title last January at IFR30 in Oklahoma City.

McCoy, from Tupelo, will be competing Friday night in his specialty event, as well as the bareback bronc riding and bull riding.

Also on hand will be 11-time steer wrestling world champ Dale Yerigan and four-time barrel racing champ Betty Roper.

Both Yerigan and Roper will also be competing on Friday.

In addition to the all-star cast, a big number of local cowboys and cowgirls will be competing here both nights. Included in that group is former world champ Terry Crow.

The rodeo is sponsored by the Miami Area Chamber of Commerce along with Miami Ford and Cheek Auto Mall.

Advance tickets are available at the Miami Area Chamber of Commerce, Miami Ford, Cheek Auto Mall, Buy For Less, Osborn Drugs, The Stables, Bilkes and Reynolds Boot Shop.

Adult tickets purchased in advance are $6 for Friday and $13 for Saturday’s go-round, which also features a concert by Daryle Singletary.

At the gate, adult tickets will be $8 on Friday and $15 on Saturday.

Advance tickets for children (3-12) are $3 for Friday and $11 for Saturday. At the gate they will be $4 and $13.

Thunderbolt Rodeo Productions is again the stock producer.

By John Rittenhouse
Karen Fey has overcome many obstacles during her many appearances at the Luverne Country Club’s Women’s Club Tournament, but Mother Nature offered a different kind of challenge during Saturday’s version of the event.
At about the time the players in the championship flight took the course, a light, annoying rain began falling and continued to dampen the links throughout the entire first round of play and well into the second round of the 18-hole competition.

Kim Grengs is the new Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary School principal, and already she’s feeling at home in the community.
"The people were very friendly and everything seemed very organized," she said about her decision to work in H-BC. "The district was on the cutting edge of curriculum."
She received her degree in administration from Minnesota State University last summer, and Hills is her first administrative job. Formerly she was a fifth-grade teacher in Farmington, a town near Northfield.
"I felt ready for a leadership role," she said of her new degree.
Grengs started in Beaver Creek Tuesday, Aug. 15, and said she’s enjoying her work so far. "It’s been great," Grengs said. "The staff is very helpful and nice."
She plans to keep many of the same programs at Hills, at least for this year. "I feel I can continue the excellence Hills has in teaching. I’m going to keep a lot of what’s going on," Grengs said.
One program she hopes to implement is a program on citizenship, or "a garden of values," as Grengs calls it. "The children would learn lessons in politeness and other qualities that would make them better citizens," Grengs said.
Grengs received her bachelor’s degree in education from Augsburg College, Minneapolis, and her master’s degree in education from St. Mary’s University.
Grengs and her husband, Brent, who teaches in Tea, S.D., have two children, daughter Annie, 4, and son Darby, 2. She and her family live in a rented home in Steen.
Grengs grew up in Richfield, and her hobbies are reading, spending time with her family and being outdoors.

By Katrina Vander Kooi, summer intern

So far, no arrests, but anyone with information
is encouraged to call Sheriff's Department at 283-5000
By Lori Ehde
August has been a busy month for the Rock County Sheriff’s Department as deputies are working on a string of burglaries, break-ins and vandalism.
Aug. 1 dawned with a report by Rock Veterinary Clinic of a burglary in which someone broke into the clinic through a lobby window and stole any cash that could be found inside.
Cash was taken from a candy box and from a floor safe that was taken outside and pried open. The safe was later found on the property.
According to clinic employee Dan Breuer, the cash loss was modest (about $450) considering the value of other items not stolen from the veterinary office.
"It definitely could have been worse, considering a vet’s office has bottles of medicine worth about $200 bottles a crack," Breuer said.
"It’s kind of interesting – we had keys in a vehicle in the garage, and they left that alone, and other than the window and the safe, they didn’t break anything or throw papers around."
Breuer said the clinic hasn’t been notified of any leads on suspects in the investigation.
The Sheriff’s Department did make progress last week, however, on a burglary at Hills Locker Service that was reported Aug. 2.
According to locker owner Tedd Larson, deputies have recovered a $425 digital scale that was stolen sometime between the business’ closing on Aug. 1 and opening on Aug. 2. In addition to the scale, between $150 and $175 was also stolen.
Larson said the scale was found Friday in a car belonging to someone from Luverne. When asked why someone would steal a scale, he speculated that such a scale could be used to measure illegal controlled substances in a private methamphetamine lab. He also added that the Hobart scale salesman had noted other reports of similar scales being stolen recently.
Larson said he was just happy to have the scale returned, and other than scratched off serial numbers, he said the equipment is not damaged.
Rock County Sheriff’s Department investigators aren’t commenting on any of the cases or the likelihood that they’re related, but given the numbers of reported thefts and vandalism this month, deputies have their work cut out for them.
On Aug. 2, Hills-Beaver Creek High School reported two windows were broken out of a school bus. Damages are estimated at $200 or more.
On Aug. 8, Deloris Dressen reported her 1988 Chevrolet Sprint, valued at about $800, had been stolen from her garage in Magnolia. The following day, it was found in Magnolia and returned to her.
On Aug. 9, Nancy Palmquist, Luverne, reported the theft of a girls’ Huffy bike, valued at about $100, from her front yard.
On Aug. 11, Chris Smook, Luverne, reported the theft of a Huffy "flat bed" chrome bike valued at $60 taken from the front yard sometime during the night.
On Aug. 14, Hills Co-op Farm Elevator reported someone had been either taking anhydrous ammonia (used in illegal production of methamphetamines) or just leaving the hose off the connections in Hills.
Also on Aug. 14, the Luverne Building Center reported that someone had broken in and stolen an undetermined amount of cash.
On Aug. 15, the city of Hills reported five streetlights had been shot out. Damage is estimated at about $300.
On Aug. 17, Luverne High School reported that someone had damaged a football blocking dummy with a knife or other sharp object. Damage is estimated at $200. It would cost $500 to replace the dummy.
On Aug. 18, Micky Sehr reported that an undetermined amount of cash had been stolen from the Redbird Field concession stand in Luverne. Further, a Coke machine, valued at roughly $2,000, was taken.
Also on Aug. 18, Patricia Melsness reported a decorative Scooby Doo house flag, valued at about $35. had been stolen.
On Aug. 19, Evie VandenBerg, reported a cell phone and its 12-volt adapter had been stolen from her vehicle, which was parked in the garage. The items, valued at about $200, were taken sometime between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m.
Also on Aug. 19, George Lass reported someone drove a vehicle about 30 feet into his cornfield near Hardwick, causing about $100 worth of damage.
Also on Aug. 19, Kristy Groen reported someone had damaged her 1985 black Thunderbird by putting scratches and nasty words on the vehicle. Damage is estimated at about $1,600.
Also on Aug. 19, Gordon Swenson, Hardwick, reported his cell phone, valued at about $50, had been stolen from his vehicle while it was parked at Casey’s on South Highway 75. He estimated it had been taken sometime between 6 and 6:30 a.m.
On Aug. 22, Hohn Implement, Luverne, reported someone had broken through a shop window and stole an undetermined amount of cash.
Anyone with information on any of these cases is encouraged to call the Rock County Sheriff’s Department at 283-5000.

By John Rittenhouse
The Luverne High School tennis team opened the 2000 season at Worthington Pre-Season Invitational Tennis Tournament Tuesday.
The Cardinal girls played three matches against teams from Martin County West, Pipestone-Jasper and Worthington.
Luverne went 2-1 for the day, besting MCW and Worthington by respective 7-0 and 6-1 tallies. P-J downed LHS 6-1 in a contest that needed four tie-breakers to settle matches.
Sophomore Becky Antoine played her way to an individual championship by winning all three of her matches at No. 2 singles.
Antoine secured 5-0 and 5-1 wins against MCW’s Becky Kuehl, she topped P-J’s Abby Wiltrout 5-0 and 5-3, and downed Worthington’s Kelly Cunningham 5-1 and 5-3.
Cardinals Amanda Aning and Rachel Tofteland placed second at No. 1 and No. four singles with 2-1 records.
Luverne’s No. 1 doubles team of Chelsea Cronin and Allana Gacke, No. 2 squad of Gabe Van Dyk and Patricia Willers, and No. 3 team of Sarah Lange and Jenny Braa all finished second with 2-1 records.
Cardinal Ashley Gacke placed third at No. 3 singles with a 1-2 mark.
Luverne will play at a doubles tournament in Fairmont Friday before playing Yellow Medicine East in Pipestone Monday.